Chapter 4 - The Broken Truise
The war did not wait for morning.
Within an hour, the entire Russo estate was transformed into a military bunker. Heavy steel shutters slammed down over the windows, cutting off the moonlight. Dozens of heavily armed soldiers in tactical gear flooded the hallways, their weapons drawn and ready.
Dominic stood in the center of the command room, barking orders into a radio, his voice cold, precise, and lethal. The Maroni family—his fiercest rivals—had taken advantage of his distraction over the past few weeks. They had tracked his movements, realized he was spending all his time at home, and decided to strike at the heart of his empire.
I sat in the corner of the reinforced safe room, clutching Mia, Sofia, and Elena tightly against my chest. The little girls were trembling, the terrifying memories of the night their mother died flashing behind their wide, tear-filled eyes.
"Clara," Elena whispered, her small voice shaking. "Are the bad men coming back?"
"No, sweetie," I lied, forcing my voice to remain calm and steady despite the sheer panic clawing at my throat. "Your papa is the strongest man in the world. He's going to protect us. Just close your eyes and listen to my voice."
I began to sing the lullaby again, my voice a fragile shield against the distant, muffled sound of explosions and gunfire echoing from the outer gates of the estate. The girls buried their faces in my sweater, holding onto me like I was their only lifeline.
Suddenly, the heavy steel door of the safe room burst open.
I screamed, pulling the girls behind me, expecting to see a Maroni hitman. Instead, it was Dominic, his white shirt stained with blood, a smoking rifle clutched in his hand. His eyes scanned the room frantically until they landed on me and the children.
"Leo!" Dominic shouted to his trusted lieutenant behind him. "The outer wall has been breached. They brought heavy artillery. The safe room won't hold if they get to the main structure. We need to move them to the underground tunnels now!"
Dominic ran to us, dropping his weapon for a brief second to wrap his powerful arms around all four of us. He pressed a hard, desperate kiss to my forehead. "I'm getting you out of here, Clara. I swear it on my life. Trust me."
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"I trust you," I whispered, looking into the eyes of the man I had once feared, realizing that I would follow him blindly into the dark if it meant keeping these children safe.
We ran down the dark, concrete stairs leading into the bowels of the mansion, the sounds of war raging violently above our heads. But just as we reached the entrance to the underground escape tunnel, a deafening explosion rocked the foundation, throwing us to the ground as a cloud of choking dust and debris swallowed the air.
